ACCEPTING CRITICISM CAN HELP IMPROVE RESULTS, HOWARD COUNTY EXECUTIVE SAYS Opening Lines Source: https://www.naco.org/, Charlie Ban, First Published Feb 03, 2025 For county elected officials, the margin for error is small. The electorate will decide just how much slack to cut when it comes to professional judgement and policy decisions, and those decisions come every four years. But there’s a faster ecosystem that defines an administration, for better or worse, and it’s built on the far murkier foundation of public sentiment. But the lessons can be direct. “You’re not allowed to have a bad day,” said Calvin Ball, Howard County, Md.’s second-term executive. “We can’t cuss someone out in anger, or get upset with a waiter if we get the wrong order or the food is cold. Those are things you shouldn’t do anyway, but we definitely can’t do.” Then there’s the criticism. Ball calls them “The Howard Hundred,” the people who always have something to say, some kind of criticism regardless of its relevance to a policy or the care with which it was crafted. As a public servant, he always wants to hear how the county can do a better job or craft better policy. 7 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 03
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